Leg mounting means for furniture



1966 H. P. GLASS LEG MOUNTING MEANS FOR FURNITURE Filed June 1, 1964 INVENTOR. HENRY P. 6095's 3,267,886 Ice Patented August 23, 1966 3,267,886 LEG MOUNTING MEANS FOR FURNITURE Henry P. Glass, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Fort Smith Plywood Company, Fort Smith, Ark., a corporation of Arkansas Filed June 1, 1964, Ser. No. 371,257 3 Claims. (Cl. 108-127) This invention relates generally to articles of furniture, such as tables and the like, having folding or collapsible legs. More particularly, it relates to improved means for mounting such fol-ding or collapsible legs on such articles of furniture.

Articles of furniture such as tables, benches, chairs and the like, having one or more folding or collapsible legs are in wide use and have great utility. Their chief advantage is that they are easily stored in a relatively compact space when not in use. A wide variety of means are presently employed to attach the legs to the articles of furniture and to permit folding, collapse or storage of the legs. In many cases a leg or a pair of legs must first be moved manually from collapsed to extended position and then one or more additional manual operations must be performed to lock the leg or legs in extended position. Similar manipulations must be carried out to unlock the leg or legs and to return them to collapsed position.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved means for mounting folding or collapsible legs on articles of furniture.

Another object is to provide means of the aforesaid character which permit the legs to be moved from an extended position to a folded position substantially parallel to the supporting surface of the article of furniture after a simple nnlatching operation.

Another object is to provide means of the aforesaid character which allows one or more legs to be moved from folded position to extended position and to be locked therein in one operation.

Another object is to provide improved means of the aforesaid character which are relatively easy and economical to fabricate, which are sturdy and reliable in use, and which facilitate and simplify the setting up and taking down of articles of furniture having collapsible legs.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will hereinafter appear.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that the embodiment illustrated is susceptible of modification with respect to details thereof Without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a table incorporating the present invention, with the table shown upside down;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of one of the leg mounting means of the table shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the leg mounting means shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a portion of the leg mounting means shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the numeral designates an article of furniture, such as a table, incorporating the present invention. Table 10 comprises a supporting member or table top 12 which, when the table is in use is adapted to lie in a substantially horizontal plane. Table top 12 has a top surface 14 and an under surface 16. As will be understood, table top 12 could be a unitary member, as shown, or could be of the extendable type comprising a pair of separable members adapted to have one or more extension leaves inserted therebetween in a well known manner. Table 10 is shown upside down in FIG. 1 to more clearly illustrate the invention.

In accordance with the present invention table top 12 is provided with mounting means for connecting a plurality of legs 18a, 18b, 18c and 18d thereto in a folding or collapsible relationship.

The mounting means comprise a pair of mounting as semblies 20 and 22 which are located near opposite ends of table top 1 2 on under surface 16 thereof. The mounting assemblies 20 and 22 are adapted to accommodate a pair of legs 18a, 18b and 18c, 18d. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the legs 18a and 18b are joined together at their bottom ends by a cross piece 19a. The legs 18c and 18d are similar-1y joined by a cross piece 1%. Since the mounting assemblies 20 and 22 are understood to be substantially identical to each other, only mounting assembly 20 will be described in detail herein.

Referring to FIG. 1, mounting assembly 20 comprises a bracket member 24 having a ifirst or central portion 26 and a pair of end portions 28 and 30 which extend therefrom at an angle and are preferably integral therewith. Central portion 26 of mounting assembly 20 is adapted to lie against under surface 16 of table \10 and is provided with a plurality of holes 3 2, shown in FIGS. 2, -3 and 4, which adapt it to be secured, as by screws 34 shown in FIG. 1, to the table.

As will be understood, each end of mounting assembly 20 is the same as the other and, therefore, only one end will be described in detail herein. As FIGS. 1 through 4 show, end portion 28 of bracket member 24 of mounting assembly 20 is provided with a pivot pin means 36 on which leg 18a is pivotably mounted. Pin means 36 may take the form of a bolt 38 having a washer 40 and a nut 42 associated therewith, with the bolt 38 extending through a hole 44 in end portion 28 and through a hole 46 in leg 18a near the end 19 thereof. Leg 18a is thus adapted to pivot in a plane which is normal to the plane in which table top 12 lies.

Stop means are provided to limit pivotal travel of leg 18a as it is moved from its folded position to its extended or upright position and to cooperate with releasable latch means, hereinafter described, in maintaining the leg in extended position. Such stop means take the form of a bracket 48 which is rigidly secured as by welding to the outside surface of end portion 28 of bracket member 24 of mounting assembly 20.

Releasable latch means are provided to permit leg 18a to be moved from its folded position to its extended or upright position and to latch the leg in extended position until released, as hereinafter explained. The releasable latch means comprises a latch member 50 which is slidably mounted in a housing or support 52 which is rfgidly secured on bracket member 24 of mounting assembly 20. To give added strength to bracket member 24, housing 5-2 is, for example, welded to central portion 26 and end portion 28 of the bracket member. Latch member 50 comprises a central body portion 54, a latch head 56, and a handle 61. Latch member 50 is slidable in housing 52 and latch head 56 is movable through an opening 59 in end portion 28 of bracket member24. As

FIGS. 2 and 3 show, latch head 56 of latch member 50 is adapted so that a side 58 thereof is substantia'ly flat, whereas a side 62 is sloped. Preferably, an edge 64 between a side 59 and side 62 is rounded or beveled so as not to mar leg 18a as the latter comes in contact therewith.

Biasing means are provided to maintain latch head 56 of latch member 50 in the path of travel of leg 18a and to permit the latch head to be withdrawn or depressed therefrom The biasing means are in the form of a helical compression spring 66 which is'disposed in housing 52 and surrounds body portion 54 of latch member 50. Spring 66 bears against latch member 50 and an abutment 67 in housing 52.

Handle 61 on latch member 50 which projects through a slot 68 inhousing 52 serves as a means for manually retracting latch head 56 from the path of travel of leg 18a and'as a means for limiting outward movement of the latch member from the housing.

In the embodiment shown, housing 52 extends entirely across central portion 26 of bracket member 24 and is associated with end portion 30 in the same manner as described in connection with end portion 28. Aswill be understood, handle 61 and a handle 61a associated with leg 18b both occupy the same slot 68 in housing 52 and are disposed sufficiently close to each other so that both can be grasped simultaneously by one hand of a human operator and operated together with a squeezing motion to unlatch both legs 18a and 18b when it is desired to move those legs from extended to folded position.

The invention disclosed herein operates as follows:

Referring to FIG. 1, assume that the pair of legs 18a, 18b is in folded or collapsed position, as is the pair of legs 18c, 18d, and that it is desired to move both pairs of legs to extended position and to lock them in such position so that the table may be set upright. Since the two legs in each pair are connected together by a cross piece, movement of one leg in a pair will effect movement of both. Therefore, only the movement of one leg in one pair, namely leg 18a, will be described.

In folded position leg 18a lies in or partially below a plane which lies substantially parallel to table top 12 of table It as FIGS. 2 and 3 show. As leg 18:: is pivoted counterclockwise with respect to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, toward its extended position, the end 1% thereof is brought into engagement with edge 64- and side 62 of latch head 56 of latch member 50 causing the latter to be depressed into housing 52. As pivoting of leg 18a in the counterclockwise direction continues, the end 19 thereof moves past latch head 56 and comes to rest against stop 48. When end 19 of leg 13a has moved past latch head 56, latch member 50 is again biased outwardly of housing 52 by spring 66. Leg 18a thus assumes the extended position shown in FIG. 1 wherein it is entrapped against pivotal movement in either direction by stop 48 and-side 58 of latch head 56.

To move leg 18a from its extended position back to its folded or collapsed position, handle 61 of latch member St} is moved manually against the bias of spring 66 to cause latch head 56 to retract out of the path of movement of the end 1a of leg 18a. While latch head 56 is retracted, leg 18a is pivoted manually in a clockwise direction with respect to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 so as to move past the latch head. After this, handle 61 of latch member 50 is released to allow the latter to return to its normal position and leg 18a is swung to its folded position. As previously explained, handle 61 and 61a can be operated simultaneously to unlatch both legs 18a and 18b.

While the invention disclosed herein is shown as embodied in a table having four legs, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it could be applied to a table, bench, chair or other article of furniture having a greater or lesser number of legs.

Having now described my invention with reference to 4 the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, I do not wish to be limited thereto, but what I desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is set forth inthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. In mounting means for attaching a pair of legs to an article of furniture, in combination, a bracket comprising a first portion adapted to be secured to said article of furniture and further comprising a pair of end portions extending at angles from said first portion, each end portion having a latch accommodating opening therethrough, each end portion also having means for pivotably mounting one of said legs thereon so that said leg is movable from a collapsed to an extended position, a housing mounted on said first portion of said bracket in axial alignment with both openings, a pair of latches movably mounted in said housing, biasing means in said housing for normally biasing each latch through a respective opening and into the path of movement of a respective leg, each latch being adapted to be moved out of said path by its respective leg as the latter moves'to itsextended position, stop meanson said end portions of said bracket for limiting travel of said legs as they move to their extended positions and for cooperating with said latches to maintain said legs in their extended position, and a handle on each latch extending outwardly from said housing, said handles being located sufficiently close to each other so as to be movable simultaneously to move said latches simultaneously out of the path of movement of their respective legs so that said legs can be moved from their extended'to their collapsed positions.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said legs are connected together so as to be movable simultaneously.

3. In a table, in combination, a table top having a top surface and an under surface, and mounting means for connecting a plurality of legs to said table top in collapsible relationship, said mounting means. comprising a pair of mounting assemblies, each mounting assembly being located on the under surface of said table top near one end thereof, each mounting assembly comprising a bracket having a first portion and a pair of extending end portions, said first portion being adapted to be secured to said under surface of said table top, each end portion having a latch accommodating opening extending therethrough, one of said plurality of legs pivotably mounted on each end portion of said bracket and movable from a collapsed to an extended position, means for connecting together the pair of legs on each mounting assembly, a housing mounted on said first portion of said bracket and axially aligned with the latch accommodating opening in said end portions, a pair of latches movably mounted in said housing, biasing means in said housing for normally biasing each latch through a respective latch accommodating opening and-into the path of movement of a respective leg, each latch beingadapted to be moved out of said path by its respective leg as the latter moves to its extended position, a stop means on each end portion of said bracket for limiting travel of a respective leg as the latter moves to its extended posi tion and for cooperating with a respective latch to maintain said leg in its extended position, and a handle on each latch extending outwardly from said housing, each handle being located sufficiently close to the other handle on said housing so as to be movable simultaneously there- 'with to move said latches simultaneously out of the path of movement of their respective legs so that both of said legs on said bracket can be moved simultaneously from their extended to their collapsed positions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,063,642 6/1913 Birdsall 108132 X (Gther referenceson following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS Stroud 108-132X Reischmann 108-132 Lindsay 108--132 Harrell 108129 Anderson 108129 Marcus 108-18 Wade 108-429 Zimmel' 10818 6 2,879,119 2/1959 Bullock 108-132 3,096,732 7/1963 Wilkinson 103-127 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 355,580 8/1961 Switzerland.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN MOUNTING MEANS FOR ATTACHING A PAIR OF LEGS TO AN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE, IN COMBINATION, A BRACKET COMPRISING A FIRST PORTION ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO SAID ARTICLE OF FURNITURE AND FURTHER COMPRISING A PAIR OF END PORTIONS EXTENDING AT ANGLES FROM SAID FIRST PORTION, EACH END PORTION HAVING A LATCH ACCOMMODATING OPENING THERETHROUGH, EACH END PORTION ALSO HAVING MEANS FOR PIVOTABLY MOUNTING ONE OF SAID LEGS THEREON SO THAT SAID LEG IS MOVABLY FROM A COLLAPSED TO AN EXTENDED POSITION, A HOUSING MOUNTED ON SAID FIRST PORTION OF SAID BRACKET IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH BOTH OPENINGS, A PAIR OF LATCHES MOVABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING, BIASING MEANS IN SAID HOUSING FOR NORMALLY BIASING EACH LATCH THROUGH A RESPECTIVE OPENING AND INTO THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF A RESPECTIVE LEG, EACH LATCH BEING ADAPTED TO BE MOVED OUT OF SAID PATH BY ITS RESPECTIVE LEG AS THE LATTER MOVES TO ITS EXTENDED POSITION, STOP MEANS ON SAID END PORTIONS OF SAID BRACKET FOR LIMITING TRAVEL OF SAID LEGS AS THEY MOVE TO THEIR EXTENDED POSITIONS AND FOR COOPERATING WITH SAID LATCHES TO MAINTAIN SAID LEGS IN THEIR EXTENDED POSITION, AND A HANDLE ON EACH LATCH EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID HOUSING, SAID HANDLES BEING LOCATED SUFFICIENTLY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER SO AS TO BE MOVABLY SIMULTANEOUSLY TO MOVE SAID LATCHES SIMULTANEOUSLY OUT OF THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THEIR RESPECTIVE LEGS SO THAT SAID LEGS CAN BE MOVED FROM THEIR EXTENDED TO THEIR COLLAPSED POSITIONS. 